At 36, Juan Manuel Marquez has been in some wars in his career. The Mexican fighter known as “Dinimita” has been in the ring with some of the toughest fighters of his generation and more than held his own. He’s put together a Hall of Fame resume and earned a reputation as one of the toughest fighters in the world while building a record of 50-5-1 with 37 knockouts.
On July 31, Marquez will face Juan Diaz in a rematch of one of the toughest tests in Marquez’s career. Last February, Marquez and Diaz hooked up in Diaz’s hometown of Houston and put together the Fight of the Year. The two sluggers battled it out for nine gruelling rounds before he finally stopped Diaz with a pair of knockdowns, the last one ending the fight after a brutal uppercut. Marquez will hope that he can deliver a repeat performance and perhaps end the fight before absorbing as much punishment as he did in the first fight.
But Diaz isn’t the only boxer who has pushed Marquez to his limit – and sometimes beyond. Here is a list of some of the toughest fights and opponents that Marquez has had throughout his career:
Manny Pacquiao: The Pilipino legend has given Marquez two of the toughest fights of his life – and the reverse is also true. Their first meeting in May 2004 was for Marquez’s WBA and IBF featherweight titles and was a classic fight. Pacquiao came out gangbusters in the first round and it looked like he would end the bout then after knocking Marquez down three times. However, Marquez was able to rally in the later rounds to close the gap. A scoring error left the fight a draw and set up a rematch in 2008 for Marquez’s WBC super featherweight title; Pacquiao would prevail in an equally controversial split decision.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Marquez is one of the few fighters in the world to take on both Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr., considered by most to be the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world. While he was able to more than hold his own against Pacquiao, his September 2009 bout against Mayweather Jr. was another story. It was Mayweather Jr.’s return bout from his brief retirement, and he made the most of the situation in easily handling Marquez with his usual combination of speed, punching accuracy and inimitable defence. After the fight, Marquez said that he was too slow and listless after putting on the weight to move up to welterweight and said he would drop back down to lightweight.
Marco Antonio Barrera: Marquez moved up to super featherweight in March 2007 to challenge fellow Mexican legend Barrera for his WBC title. The battle was a back and forth affair with Marquez surging to the victory after Barrera claimed many of the early rounds. The fight was marred by a controversial situation when referee Jay Nady hesitated in ruling whether Marquez was knocked down or slipped when he touched the canvas in the seventh round. During Nady’s hesitation, Barrera struck Marquez while he was down. Nady eventually ruled that Marquez was not knocked down and deducted a point from Barrera.
Freddie Norwood: Marquez’s first battle for a world title would not end well. In September 1999 he challenged the previously unbeaten Norwood in Las Vegas for his WBA featherweight championship. He was knocked down in the second round but rallied to turn it into a very close fight. He knocked Norwood down in the ninth round after possibly knocking him down in the eighth – although it wasn’t ruled by the ref. In the end, his slow start cost him as he dropped a tight unanimous decision despite out punching and out landing the champion.
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